LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1797, 9 July 1913, Page 9

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

PICTURE BUS|.NESS. Sir,—l trust yWN'Hn , pS^oA''my , for a little space to correct certain absolutely incorrect statements which appeared in the article on the Picture Business" in your issue of June 30. -*- tTO PJ the tone of the article referred to it would appear that, had it not been for the socalled "Amalgamation," the film supply coining to tliis country would not be of a high standard, and that the Amalgamation" was a benevolent institution run entirely in' the interests' of showmen and the public. It would also seem that this "Amalgamation" had scoured the sole rights of the leading makere of-films for Australasia, but when I point out that euoh great makers as Nordisk, Lubin, Kalem, Selig, Bssanay, Imp,; Eclair, Rex, Solas, Powers, _ .Urban, Itala, Oines, Hepworth,; Clarendon, Keystone, Lux, Melies, Duskes, Bison, .and many others are not "tied to any combination of hirers it is.. quite (jlear that such is not the case. The statement that "there are at 'kast two film agencies operating - in Wellington outside the 'Amalgamation'" is also incorrect. There is only one other film supply in New Zealand to-day, and that supply is Clement Mason Co. Your statement that up till quite recently Messrs. MacMahon a were in the film supply business is another mistake. These friends were never in the film supply business. My reason for asking for this correction is not entirely on account of the article which, you published. This article is ridiculous to people 'in the'business, whether as hirers or showmen, but so many misstatements on this great "film supply" subject have been written, published, and said by interested parties that I consider it is time you l-efuscd to publish anything unless you know that it as an absolute fact.I am, etc., c j^.jjiCKEY. ' Wellington, July 1.